Lisa Darcy on Christmas Actually

Lisa Darcy’s tenth book is here just in time for Christmas. Appropriate timing for a novel focused on the festive season. The story behind the story is also fascinating. This novel wasn’t originally focussed on Christmas, but the publisher requested a rewrite to tailor it to this way. Lisa shared with me how she did this, and more.

Can you please share the blurb for Christmas Actually?

Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect—or remember…

Kate Cavendish is stuck in a rut. That is until a former colleague contacts her and offers her a chance to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a successful photographer. But with her focus pulled in all directions by her children, her pregnant sister, her newly dating mother, and the nagging worry that her husband might be having an affair, Kate is filled with self-doubt.

Then, as the countdown to Christmas begins, and memories of her own childhood resurface, Kate’s anxiety deepens—both personally and professionally. Can she move on from past events and rebuild her future?

Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness, and a snapshot of modern family life—addressing subjects from social media to motherhood and everything in between.

I understand this story wasn’t always set around the festive season. What happened to change this?

My publisher wanted my new novel to have a festive theme, specifically set in Australia, where I live, featuring sun, surf, sunburn, prawns and outdoor barbeques, etc. Our Christmas reality is very different from Northern Hemisphere Christmas tropes with snowmen, snowball fights, ice-skating, roast turkey and Yorkshire puddings. In Australia, we typically wear shorts and t-shirts, eat salad and seafood for Christmas lunch, pavlova for dessert, and play beach cricket in the afternoon.

How did you tailor the novel, apart from changing the title and giving it a sparkling new cover?

Originally my story was set in July – mid-winter in Australia. Kate and the others wore jumpers and jeans, and it was dark and cold when she walked in the mornings. Changing the season was simple. Instead of complaining about the cold, in this new version, my characters complain about the scorching heat!

After the easy changes, I moved on to plotlines. Kate is a photographer who scores a short-term contract at a food magazine. Originally, the photographic aspect was important, but in the new version, it was critical. I made it a significant feature by having Kate’s work centre around her creating Christmas content – references to festive holiday food, embellished by photos of pets clothed in gaudy Christmas outfits, etc.

I won’t give away more about the story, suffice it to say some of the trickier plot lines turned out not to be suitable for a festive story, so I deleted several, and created new ones more acceptable for this genre.

My original story was about humanity: putting others first and showing kindness and clemency. I’m happy to say that Christmas Actually delivers on this. Ultimately, love, in all its incarnations, need not be out of reach.

Are you a Christmas fan? What are your favorite things about Christmas?

I love all things sparkly and colourful; Christmas colours are pure joy. However, I’m not a fan of crowded shopping centres or crowds in general, so I’m lucky I live on a beach that only has Bondi-like chaos a handful of days a year.

Living in Sydney when my three children were little, we loved driving around local suburbs at night, gazing at the houses decked out in festive lighting: Santas, reindeer, etc. I can still remember my children squealing with delight and fascination. We loved it most when those festive lights were contained within a few competitive streets. The skies really lit up!

This time was about friendship, love, Santa, making gingerbread houses, and school Christmas concerts, followed by long summer holidays, beaches and lazy days. Now, when my adult kids come home for Christmas, I treasure time just hanging out with them. (We still have friendship, love and lazy days…)

Kate is a photographer. Are you a keen photographer?

I’m not a photographer, though I take plenty of Insta snaps of my cats, garden, and crazy beach storms: sandstorms, salty rainstorms, electrical storms, you name it!

For Kate’s character, I wanted a profession she could pursue alone in a studio, or within a company such as Image Inc. It was also important that her job take her out of the studio, so the setting could change. As a photographer, Kate needed to keep moving constantly, always capturing the light and vibe.

Your books often feature sisters, in particular, your last book, The Pact. Kate’s sister Robyn is a fascinating character. Can you please tell us a bit about her?

Robyn, Kate’s younger sister by two years, is an Instagram influencer, and a single pregnant woman only weeks off giving birth. She is bright but also anxious and needy, and she tends to dive headfirst into projects she probably shouldn’t.

For example, before Robyn has given birth, she’s approached by a company to advertise its baby formula. Predictably, Robyn’s sunny pregnancy posts are targeted by an increasingly vitriolic army, and naturally, Kate fears for her sister’s health and safety.

This is mirrored by the fear Kate feels for her vulnerable teenage daughter, Lexi, who is being bullied online.

Sisters, daughters, husbands, fathers … I find families endlessly fascinating.

What next?

Christmas, actually.

I have lots of house-related things to do in the lead-up to Christmas: flower planting, rug cleaning, furniture cleaning … cleaning in general, that I wouldn’t need to do if I didn’t own two huge Ragdolls who continuously shed fur!

I also have several manuscripts to edit (thankfully not my own), but if I don’t get a wriggle on, I’ll end up like Kate, overwhelmed with responsibilities and fretting about what’s ahead.

You can follow Lisa on:

X (Twitter): lisadarcyauthor
Instagram: lisadarcyauthor
TikTok: @lisadarcyauthor4
Facebook: lisa.darcy.author
Website: newauthorscollective.com/lisa-darcy/
Threads: @lisadarcyauthor
Book sales link: Amazon AU